There’s Something About…

Ever have one of those spontaneous moments where something ordinary, turns into something extraordinary?

I just did, literally 20 minutes ago. I’m now in my hotel room, Macbook fired up, clothes put away. I gotta write this now, before I get too busy.

Amara, my taxi driver, moved from Ethiopia to St Louis ten years ago, looking for the promise and hope that America gives to people. I’m not sure how to spell Amara’s name, but if he reads this, maybe he’ll leave a comment so I can spell it correctly.

I was filled with joy at the way our conversation went in the 20 minutes or so we were together. He’s an excellent listener – professional speakers love that.

He was also a great contributor to stimulating my thinking. Thank you, Amara, for that.

He said he liked my vision for the future, which is a tale for another time. But for now, I just want to remind myself, and anyone else who cares, that ordinary experiences can become extraordinary very quickly.

The challenge is, we must be ready, at any moment. I’m so glad he and I were.

2 replies on “There’s Something About…”

You’re right. Not enough people stall in the hustle and bustle of day to day life to recognize the graces around them. As Amara has found, those graces lie in the simple things. We, as Americans, often forget the freedoms that we have.

I’ve learned some of my greatest lessons and found my greatest motivation in talking to the ‘average joes’ of the world.